ONLY ON ABC-7: EPISD Teacher of the Year finalist was once the student of a fellow finalist

The El Paso Independent School District will name its Teacher of the Year in a ceremony Friday night.

It just so happens that one of the 10 finalists, Zulema Estrada-Pina from Lee Elementary School, was once a student of fellow finalist Mercedes Brissette from Irvin High School — and each serves as an inspiration to the other.

“I see myself in them. Their success is my success as an immigrant. Their triumphs, their trials are my trials, my struggles that I went through,” Brissette told ABC-7. She taught in Mexico before returning to school for certification to teach in the United States.

She has been in the classroom for 22 years and has taught English as a Second Language at Irvin since 2000.

“I love to see the transformation. I call my students Monarch butterflies, because most of my students emigrate,” Brissette said, explaining why she enjoys ESL. “They’ll come back and you see how successful they are. They symbolize the hope.”

One of her “butterflies” is Estrada-Pina, a 2008 Irvin graduate and dual-language second-grade teacher at Lee, a school three miles away from her alma mater in Northeast El Paso.

“I always knew I wanted to be a teacher,” said Estrada-Pina. “Both of my parents didn’t finish high school, but they were so determined to do what they wanted to do. They were driven toward education. Education was the key.”

Estrada-Pina bonded with Brissette when she was a senior. In their separate interviews, they each recounted what led to their tight relationship.

“We had received a grant so we were able to take the kids on field trips,” said Brissette. “We had real-life experiences,” Estrada-Pina explained with a smile on her face as she showed ABC-7 pictures she dug up: a group photo of the class at White Sands National Monument and a photo of herself with Brissette and another student in front of Guadalupe Peak.

It was those experiences outside the classroom walls that serve as an example of the teachers’ echoing approach to education.

“It’s just not about academics,” Estrada-Pina said, her face becoming serious. “We’re educating the whole child.”

“It is about building up relationships with the students,” Brissette told ABC-7, her expression also becoming solemn. “It’s about making students feel comfortable.”

“I aspire to be at least half of what (Mrs. Brissette) was to us,” Estrada-Pina concluded. “Now I get it, because I’m also a teacher. I want them to know that this is a safe space, just like I felt in high school. She made me feel safe all the time (while learning English). She was truly an advocate. She believed in us and that really meant a lot.”

As for being recognized for her teaching skills five years into her career, Estrada-Pina said she is humbled.

“Just to be considered for the same honor as she is,” she said, referring to Brissette. “I could not believe it. Someone with years of experience and tons of knowledge. It’s mind-blowing.”

For Brissette, the feeling is mutual.

“Zulema represents what a successful ESL student is,” Bissette said. “When I found out she was a top ten finalist, I was like, ‘I don’t need anything else because this is enough for me.’ This is the way I like to see my students.”

The other teachers who were named finalists for EPISD’s Teacher of the Year are Susan Cole from Schuster Elementary, Lindsey Tettis from Dowell Elementary, Juli Porflit from Moye Elementary, Ricky Ramirez from Canyon Hills Middle, Rebecca Guerrero from the Young Women’s Academy, Lourdes Minton from Johnson Elementary, Monica Cortez from Silva Health Magnet and Dan Favela from El Paso High.